Previously on The Vampire Diaries… the cast, crew, and fans celebrated 100 great episodes with 500 Years of Solitude (EP511). From the best drinking game ever to some huge plot developments to a whole bunch of awesome cameos, this episode had something for everyone.

EPISODE RECAPS:

It’s a very nostalgic time to be a hardcore Vampire Diaries fan as the show hit 100 episodes with 500 Years of Solitude on Thursday, and Twitter flipped the frak out over an episode that gave us so much to talk about. Thanks to the power duo of Julie Plec and Caroline Dries, who wrote it, we were treated to memories and manipulations, scandalous sex, and a chance to see so many of the dearly departed — all while pushing the season forward to its next logical doppelganger hijink.Vampire Diaries In Review: 500 Years of Solitude (EP511) – Here’s Looking at You, Kat
By Crissy Calhoun, Vampire-Diaries.Net

So as we all know, Katherine Pierce – formerly Katerina Petrova, mother of Nadia and ancestor of Isobel and Elena – is mortal once again, thanks to the cure for vampirisim Silas was buried with; nothing can stop it or slow it down, and now 500 years of life is catching up with her. So, logically, we celebrate this by getting shitfaced downstairs from where she’s dying and playing the world’s best party game, What’s the Worst Thing Katherine Ever Did to *You*?time flies when you’re committing wholesale acts of murder!
By iphignia939

One-hundredth episodes can take many different approaches, from ignoring the occasion completely to going for full-on fan service. The Vampire Diaries wisely goes for something a little in between, cleverly continuing the season’s story while also taking ample time to give its fans moments with all of their favorite characters.The Vampire Diaries: “500 Years of Solitude
By Carrie Raisler, A.V. Club

It’s a very nostalgic time to be a hardcore Vampire Diaries fan as the show hit 100 episodes with 500 Years of Solitude on Thursday, and Twitter flipped the frak out over an episode that gave us so much to talk about. Thanks to the power duo of Julie Plec and Caroline Dries, who wrote it, we were treated to memories and manipulations, scandalous sex, and a chance to see so many of the dearly departed — all while pushing the season forward to its next logical doppelganger hijink.

OKAY? OKAY. If you’re jonesing for some insight and teases following last night’s epic 100th episode, behold! A list! Julie Plec talks about what went down in the 100th episode, how those events could reverberate throughout the rest of Season 5, and more.

OODLES OF SPOILERS AT THESE LINKS! Beware if you haven’t watched last night’s episode yet. But here’s a non-spoilery comment from Julie’s Q&A with The Hollywood Reporter:

We have a lot of stories to tell, which is the good news, so there doesn’t need to be an ultimate end date. I think we will keep going as long as we have good stories to tell and as long as people who work on the show want to stay with us and tell us good stories. When the stories start disintegrating into those pitches that we swore we’d never get to unless we were desperate, then we’ll try to wrap it up. But those decisions come with a lot of people’s input — a lot of people’s opinions so we shall see.

The cure was something Plec and Williamson thought up before they even wrote one word of the series. When the decision was made to turn Elena, they knew they needed to be able to cure her. But four years later, they weren’t so sure she was the one they wanted to cure anymore. “When Kevin and I first started talking about it it was Elena, of course. And then it was Jose Molina, who was our writer during season 4 who said, ‘But if you start the season searching for a cure for Elena and then you end the season and you cure her, then isn’t that kind of a buzz kill because you accomplished the exact thing you set out to do and don’t you just generally want to twist that?’”

It’s hard to believe that it was 5 years ago that Vee and I discovered that one of our favourite book series was on its way to the small screen, and now we’re at the 100 episode mark of The Vampire Diaries. We’d like to thank all the writers, cast and crew for the passion and hard work they’ve put into The Vampire Diaries so that we, the fans, can enjoy sitting on the edges of our seats, feeling all the feels, and sobbing into tissues on a regular basis. We love you guys!

As we look back at our favourite memories from the show so far, it seems fitting that this episode will include flashbacks and a touch of reminiscing. Watch out for traces of scandalous sex, and remember to collect any tears in jars to send to the writers’ room. They use them to make the coffee that fuels the creative process. ;)

Once you’ve finished watching and shaken yourself back to reality, swing by here to rate the new episode of The Vampire Diaries. All discussion about the episode is welcomed and encouraged in the comments of this post.

More hints and cast reflections on TVD’s 100th episode. From what Kat Graham tells Zap2it, we’re in for something special.

“I definitely think the fans are going to lose their minds,” Graham tells Zap2it. “I think the fans are going to be in ecstasy when they watch it, and I don’t think I’ve ever used that word. There are some things that happen in the 100th episode that are going to make a couple people stand on their couches and scream at their TV, ‘Yes, yes, yes!’ That’s how I’ll explain the 100th episode. I’m like, ‘We’re doing what, they’re letting who do who? What, what?’ So it’s great. It’s exciting. It’s a celebration, definitely.”

“It’s interesting how their relationship built over the past couple of seasons, because it’s almost like she hated him so much that she didn’t know if she wanted to just grab him by the throat and throw him through a door, or just like kiss him,” Accola says. “I think that was the awesome tension that the fans really loved about their chemistry, because you just couldn’t tell — is she gonna smack him or throw her arms around him?”

Zap2it also spoke with Nathaniel Buzolic and Michael Trevino. Looks like Kol fans aren’t the only ones who’d like to see a certain Original revive and return to Mystic Falls:

“I’d love to come back,” Buzolic says. “If the opportunity to come back did present itself, I’d jump at it.”

Michael Trevino wouldn’t say specifically whether or not Tyler will make it back for the episode, but he does offer hope to all the fans who are crossing their fingers for returning favorites:

“I’ve heard there might be some familiar faces in the 100th episode,” Trevino says. “I mean, that’s a milestone! You would try to incorporate as many people as you can. And as you know on ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ nobody’s really dead. People are ghosts, there’s flashbacks, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw people from the past.”

The Hollywood Reporter spoke with a whole bunch of people, including Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Kevin Williamson, and Julie Plec, about the early days of the show and reaching this milestone:

WILLIAMSON: I had been telling Julie that I wanted to do 24. If we do a slow, melodramatic soap opera about vampires, it’s going to be boring. The audience is going to be jumping ahead so fast. They’re texting while they’re watching your TV show. You’ve got to give them a twist, a turn. The end of season one was a shining moment, when Katherine showed up and cut off Uncle John Gilbert’s fingers. My dad called up afterward and said, “That might be the best damn cliff-hanger I’ve ever seen.”

“No disrespect to Fell’s Church, but it felt very based in religion and spirituality, and we knew we didn’t want the show to be the kind of vampire show that’s just about heaven and hell and demons and the devil and God — that kind of thing,” Plec says. Interestingly, there was no story behind the name Mystic Falls: “We changed the name of the town arbitrarily.”

E!Online spoke with Julie about the saddest death, biggest twist, and more.

“Oh my god. For me, personally and on the show emotionally, it’s Alaric. Matt [Davis] is one of my favorites and it was really sad to see him go. It was really emotional for everyone to shoot as well because it felt like they were all standing there in that cemetery saying goodbye to him. It’s something no one really wanted to do, no one wanted to say goodbye to Alaric. It was right for the story, right for the character, and that one is always going to hurt my heart a little bit. But I love all my deaths equally.”

Here’s to one hundred episodes of The Vampire Diaries!500 Years of Solitude (EP511) airs tonight on the CW at 8/7c, and we’re sure that for such a landmark episode, everything will be sunshine and rainbows and absolutely nothing bad will happen, right? Right? (No. We’re expecting tears. Stock up on your tissues and bourbon now!)

(Looking for the list of posts from the week? You’ll now find it on Friday in the Friday Night Bites post.)

Hey, Vampire Diaries fans, looking forward to the 100th episode tomorrow? Interested in stocking up on official merchandise to commemorate it?

The official Warner Bros. online shop is celebrating The Vampire Diaries’ 100th episode with savings of up to 20% on all Vampire Diaries gear! Check out the new Mystic Falls allover print jersey, and more than 30 regular tee shirts featuring Damon, Elena, and Stefan. And don’t miss their collection of two dozen stylish phone cases for the iPhone and Galaxy, plus mugs, posters, life-size standees, and more!

A Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls is an anthology of essays that brings together today’s best YA writers of the supernatural to talk about the Vampire Diaries' first season, from the characters to the storyline, the magic and the town. Edited by Red & Vee. Due October 19th.

Go deep into the heart of Mystic Falls with this episode-by-episode look at the first season of The Vampire Diaries. Love You to Death: The Unofficial Companion to The Vampire Diaries is the essential guide to the show.

Stefan’s Diaries tells the story, as depicted on The Vampire Diaries television show, of the love triangle that would change the Salvatore brothers’ lives forever. This trilogy offers new insight into the wildly popular TV series and the epic love story that turned devoted brothers into mortal enemies. The first book, Origins, is due for publication on November 2nd, 2010. Find out more...

Vampire-Diaries.net was founded on the 21st February 2009. It is a fansite and not affiliated in any way with L.J. Smith, HarperCollins, Alloy Entertainment, the CW Network, Warner Bros. Television, CBS Television Studios, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Outerbanks Entertainment, Bonanza Productions or the cast and crew of the Vampire Diaries television series.Theme used is 'Stefan's Journal', designed by Red exclusively for Vampire-Diaries.net.